Clariant, Hoechst Post Jump
In Combined 1st-Half Profit

By

Margaret Studer Special to The Wall Street Journal

Updated Sept. 24, 1997 12:01 a.m. ET

BASEL, Switzerland -- The merger between Clariant AG and Hoechst AG's specialty-chemicals business is "off to a good start," with a pro-forma 53% surge in first-half operating profit compared with the companies' combined performances a year earlier, Clariant Chairman Rolf W. Schweizer said.

The announcement is the latest in a string of upbeat profit reports from Switzerland's leading specialty-chemicals companies as they benefit from a weaker Swiss franc, which drives exports and increases foreign earnings for...